Soybeans
There are currently ten GMO crops approved for use in the U.S., as well as one animal product. Currently, these foods have been modified in ways that are similar to the method described earlier. However, it’s important to note here that farmers have been selectively farming for generations to grow the most desirable foods, thus imparting some level of genetic modification over millennia of agriculture. Although the technology for GMOs is newer, the intent, when it comes to modifying food, is not—GMOs have been created to make food more appealing, safer, and less wasteful. The majority of soybeans grown in the U.S. are bioengineered. These beans typically have herbicide-resistant genes inserted into their genetic structure so that farmers can use herbicides to destroy invasive weeds without harming the soybean plant.
Aspartame
Aspartame is one of the most widely used nonnutritive, intense sweeteners in the world, with food regulatory agencies independently approving it for use in a range of foods including desserts, carbonated soft drinks, yogurt, weight-control products, and confectionary, as well as its use as tabletop sweeteners. Aspartame is a methyl ester of dipeptides consisting of aspartic acid and phenylalanine. THE MOST widely used sweetener in the world, found in fizzy drinks and sweets, is being made using a secret genetic engineering process, which some scientists claim needs further testing for toxic side effects.
As the G8 summit of rich country leaders decided last night to launch an inquiry into the safety of genetically modified (GM) food, an investigation by the Independent on Sunday revealed that Monsanto, the pioneering GM food giant which makes aspartame, often uses genetically engineered bacteria to produce the sweetener at its US production plants.
It was accidentally discovered in 1965 by the chemist James M. Schlatter while working on an antiulcer drug (Walters, 1991). Aspartame is 160–220 times sweeter than sucrose and is used as an artificial sweetener in foods and beverages. Aspartame is produced by coupling microbial fermentation and synthesis. Phenylalanine and aspartic acid are produced by microbial fermentation, and phenylalanine is reacted with methanol to form the methyl ester. Aspartic acid is also treated in such a way as to protect active sites with benzyl rings. Then the modified amino acids are mixed in a reaction tank at appropriate temperatures to get aspartame intermediates. It is further treated with acetic acid, purified, crystallized, and powdered to produce aspartame.
Zucchini
Genetically modified zucchini contains a toxic protein that helps make it more resistant to insects. This introduced insecticide has recently been found in human blood, including that of pregnant women and fetuses. This indicates that some insecticides are making their way into our bodies rather than being broken down and excreted. While the majority of GMO crops are commodity crops such as corn, cotton, soy, and canola, zucchini is one of only two fresh vegetables that has been genetically modified (potatoes are the other). Both zucchini and its cousin, yellow crookneck squash, have been modified to resist specific plant viruses. Because no safety assessment of GMOs is required in the U.S., the market is wide open for genetically-modified produce.
While most GMOs are meant to tolerate an herbicide or produce an insecticide, GMO squash is meant to be resistant to certain types of viruses. Zucchini yellow mosaic virus is the most prevalent of these. This virus is transmitted primarily by aphids and causes infected plants to grow small, unhealthy fruit. It is closely related to the ringspot disease in papayas.
Papaya
Genetically modified papaya trees have been grown in Hawaii since 1999. These papayas are sold in the United States and Canada for human consumption. These papayas have been modified to be naturally resistant to the Papaya Ringspot virus, and also to delay the maturity of the fruit. Delaying ripeness gives suppliers more time to ship the fruit to supermarkets.
These are just 10 of the most prevalent GMO foods found in the supermarket. There are many others currently for sale and being grown for the market. GMO safety is not yet certain, so if you want to stay away from it always keep an eye out for a label that indicates food is organic or non-GMO.
The popular summertime fruit was hit with the papaya ringspot virus in Hawaii in the 1940s. The virus spread through regions where papaya was grown, and production fell 50 percent between 1993 and 2006.
This drastic drop in production spurred Hawaii state agriculture officials and papaya producers to manage the spread of the virus. In 1985, the Hawaii Department of Agriculture funded research to develop a genetically modified variety of papaya resistant to the ringspot virus.
Scientist Dennis Gonsalves is credited with developing GMO papaya. Gonsalves and two other scientists inserted a gene from the ringspot virus into the papaya’s genetic code, which is like someone getting a vaccination.
